When I think of humanity, I think of men and women who go through life trying to find their way through the ups and downs that any human may find.
I, however, go through life with a more 'Who gives a shit about any of this?', and 'What's the point to all of this?' mentality.
I understand what you're thinking, 'Just a kid, so he hasn't found what life may have to offer him.' I don't see it that way, I've seen what life in the modern era has to offer and I find it boring, and pointless.
I grew up in a small family without a sibling with a father who left when I was only a few months old. Lived my life without regret or caring about anyone around me seriously, even my mother, who I can tell loves me dearly, I feel nothing for.
Not nothing in the sense that I don't care if she dies and I would do nothing for her, I just feel that she's like the rest of the world, going through life pretending any of it matters.
I think to myself everyday, 'When will I ever find meaning?'..
Until I turned 16, and everything changed, forever.
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I wake up, yawning as I look at my alarm clock through squinted groggy eyes saying 4:53, and think, 'Shit, woke up late again'.
I got out of bed nonchalantly, yawning as I walk to my drawer to find a pair of running pants and a loose fitting shirt.
Grabbing My running shoes by my bedroom door I threw them on and went into the kitchen for a bottle of water and an energy bar before my run.
I went back to my room to my computer to check my email and my social media, as my everyday rituals dictate.
Realizing I have no friends doesn't keep me from checking, for lack of better words, I simply have it and check it to have and check it.
Calmly walking out the front door I think, 'Wednesday, so right instead of left.' I turn to the right and begin my sprint, jog, sprint, jog routine for 5 miles to the donut shop to grab some for my mother, and head back.
On the way back along the left side of a fairly busy street I catch a glint out of the corner of my eye on the right side of the highway, normally I would just keep running, no matter what it is, it's at worst a pipe and at best a wrapper to some sort of snack food.
Strangely though, I stop, and stare at it, my breathing heavier than it normally is, my mind not working beyond checking the street for cars before I run across.
I Jump down into the ditch and run up to it like my life depends on it, feeling urgency for the first time in my short life, like if I don't hurry whatever this thing may be, will disappear.
I stop, staring at what looks like the handle of a sword. Weathered leather, scraps almost falling off of severely oxidized Iron.
I reach down to grab it, my mind not my own, no thoughts running through it.
My hand tightly coils around it, feeling the hard leather, and cold steel, even in this hundred degree weather.
*crack*
I see bright white, my hand and eyes burning, then nothing.
The sword handle gone, my vision back to normal, standing in a ditch on the side of the road in a daze.
'What the fuck was that?!' I look around noticing the people driving by looking at me like I'm crazy. I quickly regain my nonchalance get back up to the road, cross the street and run home, the incident earlier leaving to the back of my mind.
Not noticing the picture of a decrepid sword slowly receding on the back of my hand.
I get home to see my mother readying herself for work as the clock on the oven reads 6:08.
My mother, noticing my entrance, and the donuts in my hand lights up with a sweet smile, and says, "Good morning, sweetheart. So good to me, getting me donuts. You're a little late today, did you oversleep before your run?"
I smile my fake smile and politley return with a, "Yes, mother, woke up around 5 and took a break at the coffee shop, I saw some friends." Lies spewing from my mouth like usual, I hand her the donuts as she starts to walk to the door.
"Love you, honey, don't be late to school." she smiles her sweetest loving smile once more, before exiting in a hurry.
I ignore the nagging and take a shower, then walk to my room to put on the only set of clothing I ever wear while not with my mother, a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt, grab another water and another energy bar, and head out of the house, locking the door behind me.
I arrive at the school at around 7, to meld into my day, as usual, talking with no one, except for the random teacher who asks a question, until my last class of the day. Where my nemesis lives.
Normal people may not think of a 5'3, 8 inches shorter than myself, girl with green eyes, black hair and georgeous body and smile, as one's nemesis, but you don't know this girl.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"Hey, Gladio, looking as hateful and lazy as always I see," says Rebecca, with her usual perky voice, 'Grating to the ears as much as the eyes, like always, I see.' I sneeringly say on the inside as I indifferently look her face over, before looking back to the front, paying her no more mind.
She giggles heartily, looking at me with teasing eyes like she always does, I'm sure, "You're such a cutie, why don't you talk to me like you used to when we were in kinder together? Should I tell your mother you're being mean to me?"
I simply glare at her without facial reactions, before moving my eyes away.
She sighs slightly, with saddened, heartbroken eyes I don't see while staring at the back of my head as she sits behind me.
'Hopefully she's done for today,' I think, hating having to be talked to, and not being left alone.
"Have a good rest of the day, Gladio. I'm sorry for bothering you each and every day." She tells me with her fake sad voice, that I don't understand isn't fake.
I return with, "If you're sorry then stop, but if you're not, then that's fine too, it's sometimes nice to be treated like I'm alive, though I'd prefer if I wasnt." My voice becomes gentle and soft, "Good day to you as well, Rebecca." Sighing deeply, with the first sign, all day, of an emotion, besides indifference, or a fake smile, on my face, a deep frown.
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My school day ends with me putting my things in my locker, just like every school day begins with me taking my things from my locker, I head home.
I get home at around 4:30, grab a water, and go for another run to end the day, going left to get an energy drink at the convenience store, then to the gym for some short upper body work out and a run back home.
My mother made dinner and went to sleep before I got back, rice, and a baked chiken breast with spinach, I eat and take a shower, wear my black pants and t-shirt to sleep, at around 9, like always.
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I wake up, look to my alarm clock through squinted eyes to read, 2:02 with a burning headache and my hand on fire, my eyes turning white and my bodying becoming lighter and lighter until I feel nothing.
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I wake up again to look up at my alarm clock from reflex and my eyes widen considerably, to see grass swaying in the wind all around me, bugs buzzing in my ear and and vast plains as far as my eyes can see, a forest surrounds the plains completely on the edge of my eyesight.
I quickly return myself to my calm state, and try to find out where I was and what I was doing before bed, 'Nothing unusual, SSDD, I don't understand what's happening, why am I here, where is this?'..
A voice comes to my head in a soothing tone,
Welcome.
This is the world of Opportunity.
Here you will live for 2 real world hours each day.
(Warning - to you it may seem like 16 hours)
In this world you will struggle to survive, struggle to become stronger, and struggle to become who you want to be.
In this world anything is possible, with the class you have earned in the real world you may level up, earn skills, earn money, earn power, and earn your life.
This is no game, Gladio. Your life is forfeit should you lose it here.
Your level, skills, attributes and Health and Mana will only be shown when you level for a short period of time. You may allocate attributes now to your hearts content, but be warned, you will have no redo's, no recovery, and no status screen until you level up.
Good luck. Live freely, like you were meant to, my child.
"......"
My hand burning as a symbol of a decrepid sword slowly appears with the smell of burning flesh.
Name: Gladio
Class: Sword
Weapon: Rusty Sword (Scaling damage) 1-5 Dmg (Level One)
Armor: None
Health: 70
Mana: 0
Stamina: 90
Strength: 5
Agility: 6
Dexterity: 5
Stamina: 9
Vitality: 7
Intelligence: 7 (Unable to use mana with this class Mana will be set to 0)
Wisdom: 4
Charisma: 11
Luck: 2 (Unable to allocate points)
Unallocated points: 5
Skills: Summon Sword (No Level), Sword Wielding (Level MAX) 5 stamina per 10 sec use
My mind burning with new information pertaining to sword arts and how to use the sword with high efficiency.
'Interesting..' I think to myself as I slowly look over my stats and my hand with the insane looking rusty sword on it.
'Luckily the info dump happened before I had to allocate my points,' I start to think about what would be a smart decision when it comes to sword users in my mind, with the information I got from the Sword Wielding skill, and put 1 into Agi, 1 into Dex, 1 into Str, and 2 into Stam.
Name: Gladio
Class: Sword
Weapon: Rusty Sword (Scaling damage) 1-5 Dmg (Level One)
Armor: None
Health: 70
Mana: 0
Stamina: 110
Strength: 6
Agility: 7
Dexterity: 6
Stamina: 11
Vitality: 7
Intelligence: 7 (Unable to use mana with this class Mana will be set to 0)
Wisdom: 4
Charisma: 11
Luck: 2 (Unable to allocate points)
Unallocated points: 0
Skills: Summon Sword (No Level), Sword Wielding (Level MAX) 5 stamina per 10 sec use
I try to get a sense of where I am by carefully looking around, skirting slowly around the edges of the plains, to see if there's any sort of monster, or animal, or whatever damn thing may be in wait for me in this place, or some sort of direction to head in...